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Evaluation of plant oils for suppression of crown rot disease and improvement of shelf life of banana ( Musa spp. AAA subgroup, cv. Robusta)
Author(s) -
Sangeetha Ganesan,
Thangavelu Raman,
Usha Rani Swaminathan
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
international journal of food science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.831
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1365-2621
pISSN - 0950-5423
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2621.2010.02232.x
Subject(s) - ocimum , horticulture , cymbopogon citratus , shelf life , biology , lasiodiplodia theobromae , fungicide , botany , essential oil , food science
Summary Fourteen plant oils were evaluated to control the crown rot disease caused by Lasiodiplodia theobromae and Colletotrichum musae. Five of these, viz. Ocimum sanctum , Cymbopogan citratus , C. martinii , C. nardus and Pelargonium graveolens oils completely arrested the mycelial growth of both test pathogens at their lowest concentration compared to other oils. Besides, these plant oils have also inhibited the activity of cellulolytic and pectinolytic enzymes produced by these pathogens effectively under in vitro condition. The treatment of banana fruit var. Robusta (Cavendish‐AAA) with oils of O. sanctum , C. citratus , C. nardus and C. martinii not only reduced the crown rot severity significantly, but also increased the shelf life of banana fruits. However, under low‐temperature storage (14 °C) condition, O. sanctum oil increased the shelf life of banana fruits up to 48 days without affecting their organoleptic properties. Hence, O. sanctum oil could be used as an alternative to chemical fungicides for the management of crown rot disease.